If I hadn't had my trip to Spain with Emily to look forward to, I would have been depressed after the Maldives. We got back to Florence late Sunday night and I left the next Tuesday morning for Madrid. It was actually snowing as I walked to the train station that day and I almost cried thinking about being on the beach two days before. But, when I landed in Madrid and saw my Mom and Emily I was so excited! We spent that afternoon walking around Madrid and catching up and I was really sad when my mom had to leave the next morning. I was suffering from the worst case of jet lag and was tired from all the traveling (5 different planes and 3 different countries in 7 days!) and climate changes so I was feeling a little less than par the first few days. (Side note- Lucia asked me what that phrase meant the other day and I told her it was a bad thing, but isn't less than par a good thing in golf? where does that come from?) Anyways, we still had a good time. The weather was colder than we were expecting, so we spent a lot of the time trying to run from one inside place to the other- museums, shops, restaurants. I really liked Madrid and thought it was a beautiful big city. There were lots of trees, parks, and nice buildings. We saw some great museums, toured the Royal Palace, did some shopping, and went to a Flamenco show one night that was really neat! And I can't forget all our trips to Starbucks- they don't have these in Italy, so it's always a guilty pleasure for me when I leave the country.
Thursday afternoon we left Madrid and flew to Barcelona. We got in pretty late so we just grabbed a quick dinner and went to sleep. The next day we saw some sights around town- the food market, the seaside and port, Gaudi's famous church and park, and toured the Picasso museum. Neither of us was really crazy about the food in Spain, actually I really hated it but Emily said I was just being a spoiled brat from living in Italy. But we managed to find a few tapas everywhere we went that were pretty good. Everything is ham, eggs, and potatoes though and you can't escape the smell of ham anywhere! Eww. Saturday, our last day there, was the best weather we had all week. We spent the whole morning trying to get to Figueres, a town 2 hours away with the Salvador Dali museum, and ended up missing our train. But we were happy to have a nice day just to hang out in Barcelona. It's also a really beautiful city. We sat outside for a while and people watched- a very interesting thing to do in Spain- and enjoyed the sun. That night, we HAD to have an Italian dinner and it was delicious!
We both flew out early Sunday morning. Emily went back to school and I went to Rome to spend the day with Caroline. I hadn't seen her since November and figured this would be a good time to pass through. I actually got to see Burney and Will too who got to Rome for a vacation about an hour before I left. Now I've spent this week getting back into the swing of things in Florence. We're leaving shortly for almost a week in the mountains. The weather has been wonderful lately and I'm soo looking forward to spring!
P.S. the picture uploader isn't working now, but I'll check again when we get back from the mountains next week...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Two Weeks in Paradise
Ok, I know these posts are long overdue, but better late than never, right? It's going to be hard to describe how wonderful our trip to the Maldives was, but I guess I'll try...two weeks in paradise is exactly what it was! The weather was absolutely beautiful every day, it felt like summer and only rained the first day during our nap so it was actually perfect. The first week we had two villas, one for the parents and one for the kids and me, then the second week the dad went home so the mom, kids, and I stayed in one. To get from the capitol city, where we flew into from Milan, to our island, we had to take a 30 minute ride on a sea plane. That was my first experience on a plane like that and landing on the water was a very strange feeling, but it was the most beautiful view I've ever seen. The island we stayed on, Coco Palm, is a very small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I think there were about 99 villas and you could walk around the entire perimeter in about 15 minutes. There are more staff than guests on the island and everyone was so nice. There weren't many kids there so of course everyone loved Pietro and Gilda and knew them by name.
Our typical day was waking up and putting on our bathing suits before walking to breakfast- where they had the BEST waffles and pancakes- then getting to the beach around 11am. If the parents were scuba diving in the morning, I would be with the kids and if they weren't I could have some free time or we would all be together. But we would play in the sand, make sand castles, or play in the water (which was the perfect temperature btw). My favorite game was laying on the raft and making the kids push me around, which we "played" almost every day! Around 1pm we would head to lunch then back to the villa for an afternoon nap or quiet time. Around 4 or 5pm, just when the sun was perfect, we would head back to the beach to play for a few more hours. Almost every night we got to see an amazing sunset from our beach chairs, I was in awe. Even after growing up in Destin and witnessing beautiful sunsets in my back yard every night, it never gets old to me. Then we would shower and get ready for dinner and head out to eat around 8pm. We had most of our meals in the same restaurant that was a buffet. The food was always great and I can't even talk about dessert...so good! After the kids went to sleep, I would either have free time to wander around on the beach or just sit on the porch and read.
Besides hanging out and relaxing on the beach every day, I got to do some other really fun things too. I went snorkelling a few times around the huge reef that was right off the beach and saw some beautiful fish and coral, but the real highlight was scuba diving! I took the beginner's course that lets you go down 12 meters without being certified and I loved it! I was a little nervous that I wouldn't remember all of the rules and how to work the equipment and everything, but once I got underwater it all came pretty naturally. This is definitely something I would like to continue to pursue. Being that far under the water, 2 inches from all of the sea life was so amazing. We saw a small shark, tuna, an eel, so many kinds of beautiful fish that I don't know the names of, coral, starfish, and plants. I felt like I was in "Finding Nemo", but I guess that's what I get for hanging out with kids all day. We also rented a catamaran one day and sailed around the island, which was really fun.
It was really strange being on the complete opposite side of the world. I realize that this trip might be a once in a lifetime thing. I hope I'll be able to go back someday, but it's a long trip from Italy (10 hour plane ride, ahh) and a REALLY LONG trip from the States. It was weird to call home at 10am, right after breakfast, and talk to my parents who were about to go to sleep at 10pm there. But it was the best feeling to be back at the beach, and skiing and snow was the farthest thing from my mind!
In two weeks, I saw the sky do some of the most amazing and different things. Of course the sunsets were all beautiful and really different, but I also got to see the full moon which lit up the entire beach. Then, the next night the moon was nowhere to be found and there were more stars in the sky than I've ever seen at once. I even saw two shooting stars, which was cool because I don't know the last time I've seen that. And the sun was definitely stronger than at home...not even SPF 50 helped me a few days. I came across this passage the other day and couldn't help but think of our amazing trip to the Maldives, so I'll end with this:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
-Psalm 19:1-4
our daily hang out spot
our villa
just a few sunsets
before dinner one night
gilda and me
picture from the website- aerial view of the island
.jpg)
Our typical day was waking up and putting on our bathing suits before walking to breakfast- where they had the BEST waffles and pancakes- then getting to the beach around 11am. If the parents were scuba diving in the morning, I would be with the kids and if they weren't I could have some free time or we would all be together. But we would play in the sand, make sand castles, or play in the water (which was the perfect temperature btw). My favorite game was laying on the raft and making the kids push me around, which we "played" almost every day! Around 1pm we would head to lunch then back to the villa for an afternoon nap or quiet time. Around 4 or 5pm, just when the sun was perfect, we would head back to the beach to play for a few more hours. Almost every night we got to see an amazing sunset from our beach chairs, I was in awe. Even after growing up in Destin and witnessing beautiful sunsets in my back yard every night, it never gets old to me. Then we would shower and get ready for dinner and head out to eat around 8pm. We had most of our meals in the same restaurant that was a buffet. The food was always great and I can't even talk about dessert...so good! After the kids went to sleep, I would either have free time to wander around on the beach or just sit on the porch and read.
Besides hanging out and relaxing on the beach every day, I got to do some other really fun things too. I went snorkelling a few times around the huge reef that was right off the beach and saw some beautiful fish and coral, but the real highlight was scuba diving! I took the beginner's course that lets you go down 12 meters without being certified and I loved it! I was a little nervous that I wouldn't remember all of the rules and how to work the equipment and everything, but once I got underwater it all came pretty naturally. This is definitely something I would like to continue to pursue. Being that far under the water, 2 inches from all of the sea life was so amazing. We saw a small shark, tuna, an eel, so many kinds of beautiful fish that I don't know the names of, coral, starfish, and plants. I felt like I was in "Finding Nemo", but I guess that's what I get for hanging out with kids all day. We also rented a catamaran one day and sailed around the island, which was really fun.
It was really strange being on the complete opposite side of the world. I realize that this trip might be a once in a lifetime thing. I hope I'll be able to go back someday, but it's a long trip from Italy (10 hour plane ride, ahh) and a REALLY LONG trip from the States. It was weird to call home at 10am, right after breakfast, and talk to my parents who were about to go to sleep at 10pm there. But it was the best feeling to be back at the beach, and skiing and snow was the farthest thing from my mind!
In two weeks, I saw the sky do some of the most amazing and different things. Of course the sunsets were all beautiful and really different, but I also got to see the full moon which lit up the entire beach. Then, the next night the moon was nowhere to be found and there were more stars in the sky than I've ever seen at once. I even saw two shooting stars, which was cool because I don't know the last time I've seen that. And the sun was definitely stronger than at home...not even SPF 50 helped me a few days. I came across this passage the other day and couldn't help but think of our amazing trip to the Maldives, so I'll end with this:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
-Psalm 19:1-4
our daily hang out spot
our villa
just a few sunsets
before dinner one night
gilda and me
picture from the website- aerial view of the island
.jpg)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Six Months Down
I can't get the song "ohhh ohhh you're half way there...ohhh ohhh livin on a prayer" stuck out of my head...I'm half way through now and I can't believe it! It is so strange to think that 6 months ago I was unpacking my bags in Italy and now I'm packing to go to the Maldives for 2 weeks with people who were still strangers only half a year ago! The past few weeks have been so busy that I haven't even really had a chance to think about our trip until this week but now I'm so excited! I am soo ready to be back in shorts and flip flops. I'm just praying for good weather! Then, the day after we get back, I'm flying to Spain to meet Emily there for her spring break. I'm so excited about that too! I feel like from here on out, the time is going to fly by and I wish I could just make everything slow down a little bit. This is going to be a short post because I have a
L O N G day tomorrow (9 hour plane ride from Milan to the main island in the Maldives, then a 30 minute hydro-plane ride to our island) and I need to get some last minute things in my suitcase and get in bed!I'll be taking a little blogging break while I'm relaxing on the beach and soaking up the Spanish culture but I'll be back soon...Ciao!
L O N G day tomorrow (9 hour plane ride from Milan to the main island in the Maldives, then a 30 minute hydro-plane ride to our island) and I need to get some last minute things in my suitcase and get in bed!I'll be taking a little blogging break while I'm relaxing on the beach and soaking up the Spanish culture but I'll be back soon...Ciao!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Zurich
I love Zurich! It was one of those cities I didn't know too much about and never really thought that much about visiting, but I'm so glad I did! It's been voted the best place to live in the world seven years in a row, so I'm really happy I got to spend some time there. It's a beautiful and charming city with a river through the middle of town and small, winding streets.
I left Florence early Friday morning on a train to Milan where I had to switch to a different train to Zurich, but that one was running late so I missed my connection. Luckily, I was able to get on the the next one two hours later and got to Zurich around 5pm that evening. It was snowing the whole way there and was a really pretty ride through the country. Two of my friends, Molly and Hillary were already there so we caught up for a while before going to dinner, where Burney joined us later. It was a fun restaurant with great food and I had the typical Zurich meal- veal in a mushroom sauce with hashbrowns- yum! The restaurant was really fun and we hung out there for a while after dinner then went out with some friends of friends who are living in Zurich right now. It was nice having some locals to show us around.
Saturday we pretty much walked all over town the whole day. There weren't too many big sites to see, and after living in Italy, their churches just weren't so amazing, but I did get to go to a really nice 19th and 20th century art museum that evening. That night was the night we had all been looking forward to...fondue! I had never eaten fondue before, especially not in Switzerland, and it was amazing! Swiss cheese with bread, potatoes, and pears to dip it in! OMG.
Sunday was pretty much the same routine, of course we were happy that our hotel was directly beside a Starbucks (they don't have Starbucks in Italy because they don't like serving "dirty water") which we visited every morning. We had a really nice, long lunch that day and sounded like such moms sitting around comparing pictures and stories of our kids. Everyone is doing well though and we're all enjoying our experiences. It was another fun weekend and it was great to catch up with friends!
Everyone in front of the river
Fondue
I planned on extending my weekend a little bit by going back to Reggio with Burney Sunday night. We got back to her house pretty late that night and slept in Monday morning. Then we walked around her town and ran some errands before we had to go home to prepare lunch for the girl she looks after. We all ate lunch and spent the afternoon together then cooked dinner before I had to leave. Since I didn't get back until late Monay night, this week has flown by! We're headed back to the mountains this weekend then to the Maldives next weekend!! I can't wait!
Cooking dinner at Burney's house
I left Florence early Friday morning on a train to Milan where I had to switch to a different train to Zurich, but that one was running late so I missed my connection. Luckily, I was able to get on the the next one two hours later and got to Zurich around 5pm that evening. It was snowing the whole way there and was a really pretty ride through the country. Two of my friends, Molly and Hillary were already there so we caught up for a while before going to dinner, where Burney joined us later. It was a fun restaurant with great food and I had the typical Zurich meal- veal in a mushroom sauce with hashbrowns- yum! The restaurant was really fun and we hung out there for a while after dinner then went out with some friends of friends who are living in Zurich right now. It was nice having some locals to show us around.
Saturday we pretty much walked all over town the whole day. There weren't too many big sites to see, and after living in Italy, their churches just weren't so amazing, but I did get to go to a really nice 19th and 20th century art museum that evening. That night was the night we had all been looking forward to...fondue! I had never eaten fondue before, especially not in Switzerland, and it was amazing! Swiss cheese with bread, potatoes, and pears to dip it in! OMG.
Sunday was pretty much the same routine, of course we were happy that our hotel was directly beside a Starbucks (they don't have Starbucks in Italy because they don't like serving "dirty water") which we visited every morning. We had a really nice, long lunch that day and sounded like such moms sitting around comparing pictures and stories of our kids. Everyone is doing well though and we're all enjoying our experiences. It was another fun weekend and it was great to catch up with friends!
Everyone in front of the river
Fondue
I planned on extending my weekend a little bit by going back to Reggio with Burney Sunday night. We got back to her house pretty late that night and slept in Monday morning. Then we walked around her town and ran some errands before we had to go home to prepare lunch for the girl she looks after. We all ate lunch and spent the afternoon together then cooked dinner before I had to leave. Since I didn't get back until late Monay night, this week has flown by! We're headed back to the mountains this weekend then to the Maldives next weekend!! I can't wait!
Cooking dinner at Burney's house
Friday, January 29, 2010
Festa!
Today was my last day of class for a while. With upcoming vacations, I didn't have the time to sign up for more than 2 weeks, but maybe when things settle down I'll take another one. I had so much fun with my class the past few weeks though. Like I said, my teacher was great and besides the social aspect of the class, learning more Italian was fun too. This school is completely different than my last one because it is strictly a language school, not a study abroad program. For a change, I was the only American in the class. There were 4 Japanese people, a girl from Germany, a boy from Amsterdam, a girl from Nigeria, and a girl from Turkey/ Bulgaria...I never quite figured that one out, and of course my teacher was born and raised in Florence. But, we had a party in the second half of class today and everyone brought something delicious. We had authentic Italian tiramisu, a Japanese dish that I can't spell, Japanese cheesecake, Dutch pancakes, caprese salad, white wine cake, and a bottle of red wine. Buonissimi!
The feast:
We went around the room and everyone said "cheers" in their own language
The whole class
The feast:
We went around the room and everyone said "cheers" in their own language
The whole class
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Off to a Good Start
It's hard to believe that we're nearing the end of the first month in 2010, and my five month mark with the family! I started a new Italian class last Monday that I will be in until this Friday. I really like it a lot and have met some really nice people in my class. It's a good thing too because all of my study abroad friends from last semester went home in December! But, I'm already making new friends and looking forward to getting to know them better. I loved my Italian teacher so much last semester, that I thought I could never have another teacher that great. But, my new teacher is actually just as nice and entertaining. I realized though that all of the hand motions and expressions that Italians are so naturally great at give them an advantage when teaching a foreign language. I can't imagine learning a new language from anyone less animated than my past two teachers. They're hilarious!
I had a few fun days last weekend when the family all had different plans and left me at home. Burney came to visit me and we played tourists all weekend. We spent all Saturday exploring Florence. We visited the Academia museum (stared in awe at David...perfection), visited the old monastary of St. Mark's, and toured the amazing cathedral of Santa Croce. That evening, we hopped on a train to Pisa where we spent the night and toured the cathedral, baptistery, cemetery, and famous leaning tower the next day. I really like Pisa and definitely want to go back, especially now that we figured out the (small) town.
I'm heading out of town this weekend with the family and will spend the following week with them in the mountains. I'm coming back to Florence Thursday night, just to turn around and leave Friday morning for Zurich. I'm so excited to see my friends again and to experience a new country!
Florence's Santa Croce
Pretty little church in Pisa
Well, here it is: and it is actually really crooked
Burney and me in front of the church and tower
I had a few fun days last weekend when the family all had different plans and left me at home. Burney came to visit me and we played tourists all weekend. We spent all Saturday exploring Florence. We visited the Academia museum (stared in awe at David...perfection), visited the old monastary of St. Mark's, and toured the amazing cathedral of Santa Croce. That evening, we hopped on a train to Pisa where we spent the night and toured the cathedral, baptistery, cemetery, and famous leaning tower the next day. I really like Pisa and definitely want to go back, especially now that we figured out the (small) town.
I'm heading out of town this weekend with the family and will spend the following week with them in the mountains. I'm coming back to Florence Thursday night, just to turn around and leave Friday morning for Zurich. I'm so excited to see my friends again and to experience a new country!
Florence's Santa Croce
Pretty little church in Pisa
Well, here it is: and it is actually really crooked
Burney and me in front of the church and tower
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Buon Anno
Where do I even begin? It’s been almost a month since my last post and soo much went on! Of course the highlight of that time was my family’s visit! They got here on Christmas night and it was so great to see them! We spent some time with the kids and family here before they left for their own vacation, then spent the rest of our time touring Florence, eating great meals, and just enjoying our time together. My mom and sisters left the evening of the 31st for an early flight back the next day and my dad and I had a great New Year’s Eve (Happy 2010!) in Florence. The next few days we took day trips to Cortona and Siena and spent some more time in Florence. I had so much fun visiting my favorite parts of town and restaurants with them. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present, thanks yall!
The day after my dad left, I met Burney in Bologna for the night. She was just getting back to Italy after being at home for Christmas so we were happy to see each other after having to say goodbye to our families. It snowed the whole time we were there! As soon as I got back to Florence, I left again to meet the family in the mountains where we stayed for 5 more snowy days. The kids were so cute and happy to see me again. I even got to ski a few times! It was an experience after not skiing for 6 years, but it was fun trying it again. And my ski teacher was Michael Scott’s twin! I could barely take him seriously, but he was great.
I’m back in Florence now trying to get caught up from two weeks of vacation time. Thank you to everyone who sent Christmas cards and gifts, if I haven’t written you personally I sincerely apologize. I have to admit that between having my family here and going in and out of town, I have lost track of my thank you’s. I know it’s not an excuse, but I really appreciate everything!
It’s back to the normal grind now- kids are back in school, I’m taking a short and intensive Italian class for a few weeks starting on Monday, and we’ll be spending most weekends in the mountains. I’m also planning to meet up with my friends at the beginning of February in Zurich, Switzerland. Florence is still cold, but supposedly January is the coldest month, so I’m looking forward to the temperatures rising soon!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year’s. I missed seeing my friends in Atlanta, but I heard yall had a great time! (For those of you not on Facebook) Here are a few pictures from my family’s visit:
Shopping at the market in my square one morning
View of Florence and the duomo at night
Family photo opp
With my parents at the Pitti Palace
New Year's Eve sushi- everything went around on a little conveyer belt and you just choose what you want. So good!
At the park in Cortona
Inside the duomo in Siena
Dad in the Il Campo square in Siena
Christmas tree in Siena
On the Ponte Vecchio before mass at the Florence duomo
The day after my dad left, I met Burney in Bologna for the night. She was just getting back to Italy after being at home for Christmas so we were happy to see each other after having to say goodbye to our families. It snowed the whole time we were there! As soon as I got back to Florence, I left again to meet the family in the mountains where we stayed for 5 more snowy days. The kids were so cute and happy to see me again. I even got to ski a few times! It was an experience after not skiing for 6 years, but it was fun trying it again. And my ski teacher was Michael Scott’s twin! I could barely take him seriously, but he was great.
I’m back in Florence now trying to get caught up from two weeks of vacation time. Thank you to everyone who sent Christmas cards and gifts, if I haven’t written you personally I sincerely apologize. I have to admit that between having my family here and going in and out of town, I have lost track of my thank you’s. I know it’s not an excuse, but I really appreciate everything!
It’s back to the normal grind now- kids are back in school, I’m taking a short and intensive Italian class for a few weeks starting on Monday, and we’ll be spending most weekends in the mountains. I’m also planning to meet up with my friends at the beginning of February in Zurich, Switzerland. Florence is still cold, but supposedly January is the coldest month, so I’m looking forward to the temperatures rising soon!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year’s. I missed seeing my friends in Atlanta, but I heard yall had a great time! (For those of you not on Facebook) Here are a few pictures from my family’s visit:
Shopping at the market in my square one morning
View of Florence and the duomo at night
Family photo opp
With my parents at the Pitti Palace
New Year's Eve sushi- everything went around on a little conveyer belt and you just choose what you want. So good!
At the park in Cortona
Inside the duomo in Siena
Dad in the Il Campo square in Siena
Christmas tree in Siena
On the Ponte Vecchio before mass at the Florence duomo
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